Explore life at The Deanery – Secondary & Sixth Form Open Evenings this October

As a Church of England School, it aims to provide an education for life, enabling all of its school community to flourish and live life to the full.

This October the school will throw open its doors to welcome prospective pupils, parents, carers and guardians to find out more about what’s on offer for secondary and sixth form students.

About the Deanery

There are over 1,400 on the 11-18 roll at The Deanery, which is a large and inclusive Church school in the centre of Wigan. Of those, around 200 are in its Sixth Form College.

Whilst exam results are not the be-all and end-all of education, there is a culture of academic excellence at The Deanery with high expectations of all pupils, set within a guiding framework of Christian values.

Because this is a through school it offers the opportunity for pupils to progress through all three key stages, all on one site. This has the advantage of building significant relationships with peers and the wider school staff. It means staff can really get to know their students, and offer the best support for the individual young person. It also means pupils progress in a familiar environment, among people who know them well.

A SIAMS inspection in 2022 – which focuses on the impact of the Church school's Christian vision on pupils – noted: “An outstanding environment where pupils naturally live out the school mantra ‘work hard, be kind, make a difference’.”

An education for life

Exam successes

That said, it does not mean academic results are not important. Indeed results are consistently above the national average across a wide range of subjects at GCSE, BTEC and A Level.

Progress is overseen by a skilled team of tutors and support staff, and parents are kept closely informed and involved throughout the year.

Martin Wood, Headteacher, said: “As a school we are celebrating significant improvements in 2025, in the number of pupils achieving grades 4 or above in Maths, English and Science subjects, and an overall increase in the number of higher grades across all subjects, continuing our strong upward trend over the last 5 years. Our pupils have worked exceptionally hard during their five years at secondary school to achieve these grades, demonstrating a great deal of determination and resilience. We are so proud of all of them.”

In 2022 Ofsted wrote: “Pupils experience a rich variety of interesting and inspiring opportunities beyond the academic curriculum.”

And the report went on to say: “‘Pupils feel safe and happy. They enjoy coming to school. Pupils’ welfare is at the heart of everything that staff do.’

Find out more

The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College is an 11 – 18 Voluntary Aided School within the Diocese of Liverpool, situated in the centre of Wigan. As a Church of England school, they aim to provide an education for life, enabling all of our school community to flourish and live life to the full.

Come along to an open event to find out more and visit the website here.